The probe is considering two main versions of events for why the plane went down in a residential area in Irkutsk, investigators say
Aircraft wreckage at the crash site in Irkutsk. © Sputnik / Vladimir Smirnov
Technical problems or pilot error are currently viewed as the most likely reasons for the Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet crash in the Siberian city of Irkutsk on Sunday, Russia’s Investigative Committee has said. Both pilots were killed as the plane flew into a two-story home, leading to a huge fire.
“The probe is considering two main versions of events: Failure of aviation equipment and pilot error,” the Investigative Committee announced on Telegram on Monday.
The committee said it has questioned the staff of an Irkutsk-based aircraft manufacturer which owned the jet. Investigators have also seized fuel samples and oxygen supply equipment, and additional checks are being carried out at the crash site, it added.
The ill-fated Su-30 was carrying out a test flight when it nosedived into a two-story building in Irkutsk, also damaging another nearby home. A major fire of around 120 square meters broke out after the collision; firefighters needed several hours to extinguish it. Around 150 homes in the area were also left without electricity for hours.
Read more
The two pilots did not eject from the aircraft and died in the crash. There were no casualties on the ground as the owners of house were not at home at the time of the incident. They were designated as victims in the criminal case launched by the Investigative Committee over the incident.
Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev said the property owners will receive compensation from the state. A special inquiry will determine if they will be able to rebuild on the same spot or will have to look for a new place of residence, he said on Monday.
The governor also ordered the consumer watchdog to take air samples in the area due to the potential for environmental damage from the fuel that spilled from the aircraft.
One source told RT that the plane had been circling above Irkutsk for around 20 minutes before going down. When the Su-30 was approached by another jet, it became clear that both pilots inside the cabin were unconscious, he said.
READ MORE:
Moment of Russian fighter jet crash caught on camera VIDEOS
Last Monday, a Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed in a residential area in the city of Yeysk in Russia’s southern Krasnodar Region, leaving 15 people, including three children, dead.
